Coming soon: Railway University

The government plans to set up a Railway University for technical and non-technical subjects and also have alliances with other technical institutions.

The Indian Railways, which employs over 14 lakh people, will become a better training ground for students.

Also on the anvil is an Innovation Incubation Center and internships for engineering and management students. Talent experts have welcomed the move.

“With university and internships, the government will realign three ‘Es’ – education, employment and employability.
The Indian Railways is one of the largest employers and needs to get more apprentices.
India had 3 lakh apprenticeships while China has 20 million (2 crore),” said Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services.

Industry watchers say the skill gap is wide and with modernisation, need for better-equipped talent is urgent.
“An incubation centre will help in developing ways to track trains via satellites, anti-collision systems,
better ticketing methods and higher level of smart cards,” said Jaijit Bhattacharya, partner-infrastructure and government services for KPMG India.

Bhattacharya added that internships would expose managerial cadre and engineers to an industry they normally may not have choosen.
“We need employees with managerial skills who can strategise and those who can innovate.
The existing staff, for example, is not exposed to ways of dealing with high-speed trains and this
could be a recipe for disaster if skills are not upgraded,” said Bhattacharya
The summer internship proposal has got a nod of approval from top business schools.

“It’s heartening to note that the railways will be offering summer internships to MBA students.
The Indian Railways is an important national brand asset and must be rejuvenated and nurtured on
a continual basis with innovative and customer-friendly ideas,” said E Abraham, director, XLRI.